-E-
"As you might imagine, we have many questions."
Erwin sat in the capital building, surrounded by Military Police, and facing the council of the inner walls at a table in a small, enclosed room, with a single window behind him. Despite ultimately saving Stohess and the interior, the damage done was immense, and Eren went completely out of control during the attack of Battra, and he took full responsibility when confronted about it. Now, sitting in front of the council, he was left with one mission: convince them that it was all worth it.
"Firstly, how did you not know about the potential dangers that Eren Jaeger posed during this mission?" The head of the council asked.
"We were unaware of the true extent of Eren Jaeger's powers," Erwin replied. "She had never demonstrated abilities such as the ones she had shown off in Stohess. Previously, all of our tests concluded that her Titan's height was limited to only 15 meters in height, with abnormal strength for a titan, and a substantial increase in power when enraged. Clearly, we were wrong."
"Yes, and had it not been for Gigan, the price of your ignorance would be the loss of an entire chunk of Wall Rose," another member of the council chastised.
"As I said, none of us could have foreseen these events occurring."
"Excuses aren't going to un-burn my house," another councilman snarled.
"We have discovered recently that Battra was in fact the culprit behind Eren's out-of-control behavior," Erwin said. "Of this, I have no doubts. Now that Battra has been neutralized by Gigan, I am certain that this will not happen again."
"That's all well and good, however, that leads us to our next question," the head councilman said. "As you said, Battra has been rendered neutralized, but also entirely useless. Eren can no longer communicate with him for questioning, and even for recreational purposes, examination of the body has found that his meat is inedible to humans and farm animals alike, his exoskeleton is too durable to be harvested for tools or weapons, and too heavy to be moved via any other means, and his wings vanished into thin air as soon as they were severed."
"Yes, all of what you have just said is correct," Erwin said.
"So what I'm getting here, essentially, is that all of this was for nothing."
-E-
"Eren?" Carla said, holding her daughter's hand.
The two were in a room together, Eren sitting in a bed next to her mother, while Mikasa, Armin, and Serizawa all stood in the room with them. Armin and Mikasa's injuries had all been cleaned up and covered, with Mikasa now wearing an eyepatch matching Serizawa's. Carla gripped her daughter's hand tightly as she let out a concerned sigh.
"Are you feeling well?" She asked.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine," Eren replied. "In fact… it's weird how 'fine' I feel, considering what I went through."
"W-what did you go through, Eren?" Armin asked.
Eren's fists tightened, squeezing her mom's hand and the bedsheets. She let out an angered grunt as she thought back to Battra appearing before her in her mind.
"That bastard…" She hissed, tears welling up in her eyes. "I wish I could have killed him."
"Eren-" Carla stopped when Eren let go of her hand and clutched her forehead.
"That entire time, I was doing everything he could to stop myself from killing you all," she said. "It took everything I had to make myself hesitate long enough for Mikasa to cut me out of my titan."
Eren clutched her shoulders as she continued to divulge her side of the story. "I felt… violated. It was the most horrifying experience I was ever forced to live through. At least when that titan was about to eat my mom, I wasn't the one who was about to do it!"
Armin was startled when Eren looked up into his eyes, tears streaking down from hers.
"When he made me nearly kill you… I wanted to kill myself so badly."
"EREN, STOP IT!" Carla cried as she lunged forwards out of her wheelchair, wrapping her arms around Eren as she continued to cry and clutch her shoulders.
"I couldn't stop," She muttered through her tears. "I couldn't control myself… I'm s-so sorry…"
"Eren, it's not your fault!" Carla said while pulling Eren's face towards hers. "We all know you weren't the one responsible for what happened!"
"Not necessarily," Serizawa interrupted, causing everyone to turn and face him. "The government likely won't listen to reason. Eren's existence is clearly inconvenient to them, so they'll no doubt take this opportunity to get her out of their hair for goo-"
Suddenly, Mikasa slammed Serizawa against a wall in a fit of blind panic and rage.
"M-MIKASA, LET HIM GO!" Armin screamed.
"STOP IT, MIKASA!" Carla cried.
"You misunderstand," Serizawa grunted. "I don't want her dead any more than you all do, but I can't foresee any way in which this situation goes well for her."
"I'd deserve it…" Eren muttered. Everyone turned back to look at her. "I'm nothing but a menace to everyone. I wanted to make things better for all of you, but all I've ever done is cause you more pain." "Eren, you know that's not true," Carla said.
"Is it? All my life, I thought that I was a hero who was going to save humanity from the walls. But all I've done is cause everyone I care about more pain and suffering by dragging them into my bullshit!" Eren lowered her head in shame. "You were right about me, mom. I was never destined for greatness. I never should have had this power."
"Eren, look at me," Carla pulled Eren's face towards hers and looked her in the eyes, a single tear forming in hers. "No matter how much trouble you caused, I'll always love you. You were always special, just because you were born into this world. No one here blames you for what happened. It could have happened to any of us if we were in your shoes and the fact that you had the strength to fight back is nothing short of a miracle."
"Eren," Serizawa spoke up again, walking past Mikasa and Armin and taking a knee next to her bed. "The destruction that was caused was unavoidable. You were up against something beyond human comprehension. No normal human would have stood a chance against Battra, so even if I know for a fact that the government won't let you live, believe me when I say that they are in the wrong. You're not a monster, and you're not a burden. You're just a person trying their best to do the right thing, just like everyone else."
Eren sat there in silence for a moment, the mood still somber and tense. Carla briefly smiled gratefully at Serizawa before continuing to embrace her daughter. Eventually, Carla and Seizawa left the room, and Mikasa quickly left to get Eren some food, giving Armin and Eren some time to themselves. Armin awkwardly rubbed his shoulder while Eren fiddled with her hair.
"So, um-" They both said at once, before stopping, Eren allowing Armin to go first.
"U-um, well I just wanted to know… w-what does it feel like to go berserk?" He had a different question he wanted to ask, but he didn't feel the courage to ask it.
Eren sighed softly and looked away. "I'm not really conscious when it happens. I just kind of let go, giving in to my rage and desire to slaughter my enemies."
"O-oh. I see," Armin replied. "W-what did you want to ask me?"
Eren's cheeks reddened slightly. "N-nothing."
Eren then looked back up and gasped softly when she saw Armin starting to weep before running up to Eren and embracing her. Eren's blush brightened before her lips curled into a smile. She closed her eyes and got up onto her knees so she could return Armin's embrace as he continued to sob over her shoulder.
"Shhh… It's okay, Armin. I'll never leave you again. I promise."
-E-
"For nothing?" Erwin asked sarcastically. "I believe this latest tragedy has moved us forward by leaps and bounds sir. So many things have happened these past few months that, not long ago, we would have never even considered. From humans transforming into titans, to giant, mysterious beasts greater than even the titans. But now, we are not only aware of all these things, but we've also managed to capture two of our greatest enemies, the Colossal and Armored Titans, and kill two more, the Female Titan and Battra. Not to mention, we've made some powerful new allies, such as the fifth Titan shifter, Ymir, 'Zilla Ultima' for lack of an official name, and the Human Vapor."
Huang Meng, who had been floating outside the building, right next to the window, groaned softly to himself. He knew that his existence would be made public after these events, but it was still annoying nonetheless, as he now had a target on his back.
"And make no mistake, while Battra may have been the greatest threat to humanity, he was by no means the only one," Erwin continued. "There are more enemies out there. And together, we will hunt down every last one of them. The initiative is ours, and we swear to destroy all monsters!"
The Scout Regiment's recall to the capital and Eren's incarceration order were rescinded, much to the surprise, relief, and jubilation of the Jaeger family. Instead, they were tasked with watching over Reiner Braun and Bertholdt Hoover in their holding cells deep underground, where they kept constant watch over them day and night. They were also tasked with locating the Human Vapor and recruiting him to the Scout Regiment. Isabella Tatopoulos was declared too suspicious to be trusted by the council, due to her physical similarities to her sisters. Carla Jaeger and Daisuke Serizawa remained in the interior. Because Stohess was still under reconstruction, they and the MPs watching over them were moved to the Orvud district.
Little did anyone know the horrors the future had in store for them…
The Scouts soon arrived back at Utgard castle, the whole group worse for wear, but alive. While Mikasa separated from the group and went to the mess hall, the others happened upon a little girl with long, brown hair wrapped in a ponytail walking down the halls, holding a clipboard, dressed in a white gown and brown jacket, and deep in conversation with Moblit. The girl couldn't have been older than 9 years old, yet she seemed to possess a striking amount of intellect when speaking, talking as though she was a fully grown woman.
"Honestly, how could we not have children's size Scout attire?" The little girl asked. "I mean, kids as young as fourteen to fifteen join the military regularly these days, it's only a matter of time really only a matter of time until we- on hello Erwin! Hi Levi!" She said, waving at the two men.
"Do I know you?" Levi asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh don't be like that, of course you know me!" She replied.
"No, I really don't," He said.
Erwin took a knee before her, his eyes widening as he began taking in all of her familiar features. "Hange? Is that you?"
Everyone's eyes widened, even Levi's. All except for Moblit's.
"Yepper's peppers! It's me!" Hange said as she placed her hands on her hips and smiled.
"What the hell happened to you?!" Jean shouted.
"Ah, right, this. Well, that's a bit of a long story…"
36 hours ago…
I was in the lab examining some of the things we had retrieved from Grisha's lab in the basement of Eren's house. We had yet to open the drawer because it turns out that we needed Eren's key to open that, and we don't want to risk damaging whatever was inside by busting the desk open. So instead, I decided to study the chemicals we found in his basement. Among them was a lightly colored yellow and blue powder which gave off a faint glow.
Obviously, I was making sure to be cautious when examining a mysterious powder that no one's ever seen before, but then suddenly, I felt the ground starting to shake. Worried that we were experiencing a kaiju attack, I began packing everything. However, a sudden and rather powerful rumble knocked me right onto my butt and into the table I was working at, causing a beaker full of the powder to fall right on top of me, shattering and spreading its contents all over me, much of it even getting into my mouth.
I didn't feel anything unusual at first, however, after just a moment, I felt as though I was shrinking. I stood up, cleaned myself off, and ran out of the room, my clothes hanging more and more loosely off of me as I ran. By the time I had reached the bathroom, I was too short to even reach the mirror and had to climb up onto a step stool in order to see my reflection.
What greeted me was a face I had not seen since I was nine years old.
Today…
"Somehow, the powder that fell onto me had reversed my age by at least twenty years. However, the changes are somehow purely physical. My mind hasn't been altered in the slightest by this." Hange then looked up at her fellow Scouts. "So, anywho, how did your meeting in Sina go?"
Everyone was wide-eyed as they realized what caused this to happen to Hange. Erwin knelt before her again and gave her a stern look.
"Hange, we have a lot to discuss."
-M-
Meanwhile, Mikasa as Mikasa entered the mess hall, she was suddenly grabbed by the shoulders by Sasha, who ran up to her worriedly as soon as she entered.
"MIKASA, WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU!?" She screamed, frantically voicing her concern over her friend's state.
Mikasa swiftly pulled her hands off of her. "I'm fine," she calmly replied.
"COMING BACK WITH ONE LESS EYE THAN WHEN YOU LEFT IS NOT WHAT I WOULD DEFINE AS 'FINE'!" Sasha replied.
"If you would just calm down, I can explain what happened to me."
"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM AT A TIME LIKE THI-"
Mikasa suddenly reached into her bag and pulled out a piece of bread she brought back from the interior and shoved it into Sasha's mouth. This was enough to calm her down. After this, Mikasa pulled Sasha to the mess hall, sat her down, and began to explain everything. She explained how they encountered the Zillas in Stohess, and that one of them managed to slash out her eye. She decided not to explain the bruises on her face, hoping that explanation would suffice. It did, however much to Mikasa's surprise, it only made Sasha upset, as tears started to well up in her eyes.
"I should have been there…" she muttered.
"W-what?"
"I should have come with you," she said, her voice shaking as she spoke. "You saved my life twice, and you've always been such a good friend, and I… I never returned the favor like I should have… I'm s-so sorry Mikasa."
Mikasa wrapped her arm around Sasha's shoulder, this line of thinking all too fresh in her mind. "Sasha, this isn't your fault," she said while briefly caressing her eye patch. "You shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."
"B-but if I were there, I could have-"
"If you were there, you would have gotten hurt too," she interrupted. "You may have even gotten killed, and I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you died, even if it was for my sake!"
"W-why?"
"I…" Mikasa blushed slightly, realizing what she just said. She pulled her scarf over her face as she remembered the drawing that little girl made.
"...don't know why. But I want to protect you..." Mikasa's blush increased, no longer able to be hidden by her scarf, as she remembered Sasha hugging her every time she saved her. She liked how warm it was, the feeling of their bodies up against each other, and how nice it felt just being that close to her.
"...I need to."
She briefly remembered a dream she occasionally had of Eren and her living in a small house together by a lake. However, when she got to the part where Eren would come back with a fish he just caught, someone else was there in his place.
Sasha looked down slightly before looking back at her. "W-well, I want to protect you too, Mikasa," she said.
Mikasa's eye widened and she locked it with Sasha's eyes, still misty but now much clearer. As the two continued to gaze into each other's eyes, their moment was suddenly interrupted by Hange, Erwin, and the rest of the group from Stohess arriving in the mess hall. Sasha and Mikasa proceeded to separate from each other and awkwardly look away from each other. They then looked back and watched their conversation from afar.
"...and then, after that, I spoke with the council and I was able to convince them to spare Eren," Erwin said.
Hange squealed with excitement and began pacing around the room while writing down notes frantically. As she was writing, Eren approached her, at which point Hange grabbed her by the shirt and began pelting her with a barrage of questions, most of which went by way too fast for her to even hear, and some of the ones she did hear, she had no answer to. While the 9-year-old section commander was questioning Eren, Mikasa asked Sasha who it was, at which point Sasha had to explain the situation to the best of her ability. Mikasa was stunned when Sasha finished her explanation, and her mind began racing with questions just as Hange's mouth was. She was left so dumbfounded by this revelation that she hardly even noticed as Eren started to become overwhelmed with all the questions being thrown at her.
-G-
Gigan slowly flew across Paradis island, scanning the land up and down for any sign of his partner, Isabella. After the battle in Stohess, Isabella disappeared to parts unknown, leaving Gigan alone. The fact that she disappeared the moment the two of them could actually talk for a bit, now that neither human settlements were in any immediate danger worried him. So Gigan began to wander around the Island, both on foot and from the sky, looking for her. As he landed on top of a hill, squishing two titans beneath his feet in the process, Pelops appeared in his H.U.D.
"Gigan, are you sure Isabella is even still on the island?" Pelops asked. "We've been searching for several minutes. At this point may be more beneficial to activate the global scanners to see if she's anywhere else in the world."
Gigan briefly thought about it, then nodded.
{Alright. Activate the global scanners to check for Isabella,} Gigan said.
[Kinda creepy how insistent you are about finding me,] Isabella replied from behind him.
Gigan squawked nervously and turned around to find Isabella lying prone behind him. Her feet gently kicked the air and her tail swished gently from side to side. She had a bit of a mischievous smile on her face as she supported her head with one hand. The cyborg monster stammered nervously as he tried to explain how he was only worried about her given that she just disappeared on him after they had just gotten the opportunity to talk for once. Isabella giggled before getting up into an almost quadrupedal position, her knees spread apart and her tail resting on the ground for balance.
[So, was there anything else you wanted?] She asked, before cheekily batting her non-existent eyelashes. [Or did you just want to see me again that badly~?]
{As a matter of fact, yes, there is something else I wanted,} Gigan replied, brushing her playful flirtation off for the time being. {I have a few questions for you. Namely: how the hell do you have Atomic Breath?!}
[W-what do you mean?]
{I mean, there was only one monster prior to you that's ever been able to use Atomic Breath, and that's Godzilla.}
The world almost stopped for Isabella as she sat there, shocked at just how casually Gigan was willing to use the name of the King of the Monsters. Even Gigan was a bit surprised, especially since he knew firsthand that there was a reason to fear him.
{No other monster before or since was able to use Atomic Breath. Not even the Zillas, or any other horrific monstrosities that grew from the leftover bits of flesh that he would leave behind from battles. So how the hell are you able to use one of the most powerful abilities that any kaiju has ever had?}
Isabella clammed up at this question. Truth be told, not even she knew why she was the only one of her kind who could use this power. But she knew she couldn't just tell him that because that would only make her look even more suspicious. Fortunately for her though, she didn't have to answer just yet, as Pelops suddenly popped up in Gigan's HUD.
"Gigan, we have an emergency!"
{What's up?}
"Titan activity detected within Wall Rose!"
{WHAT!?}
Gigan began thinking about how this could have happened, wondering if maybe the Colossal Titan or some other Kaiju breached the wall, but that was quickly shut down by Pelops, who told him that the Titans just appeared in Wall Rose moments ago. Perhaps Ymir was back? No, he definitely would have detected her if she came onto the island. But what about Eren? Maybe she used her powers to their fullest again? But then why would she use her powers to create more titans when Battra was dead and couldn't control her anymore? None of it added up for him or Pelops. Still, obsessing over the why wasn't helping. All that mattered was what was happening, and what he was going to do about it.
{Isabella, we'll have to pick this up later.}
[What's going on?] Isabella asked.
{Titans in wall Rose. I can handle it on my own. Wait right here, I'll be back soon.}
Gigan then spread his mechanical wings and took to the skies, leaving Isabella behind. She didn't mind though, as it gave her a chance to formulate a proper response to Gigan's question.
-E-
The Scouts all sat in the mess hall, their meals of bread, soup, potatoes, and water. At each table, there was a different dynamic between each group. As Sasha and Mikasa sat together awkwardly at a table with Armin and Eren, the two both tried to work up the nerve to say something to the other girl, only to clam up before getting a single word out. Eventually, Sasha sighed and rested her head on the table, her arms crossed and her face red. She reached out to grab a steamed potato from her plate when suddenly, her pupils contracted as she heard a faint sound of something large and heavy rhythmically slamming to the ground.
Armin looked down at her as he saw her press her ear against the table. "Is everything alright, Sasha-" Armin asked, only to be shushed by her.
Sasha closed her eyes and focused on the sound. With each drop, whatever was approaching sounded as though it was growing closer and closer. Her eyes then snapped open as she realized what it was, and jumped out of her seat.
"G-GUYS?! I THINK I HEAR FOOTSTEPS!" She called, drawing the attention of the other scouts.
The Scouts began muttering among themselves before Jean spoke up.
"Footsteps? What, are you saying there are titans or something approaching?" Jean asked. "That would only be possible if Wall Rose was breached, and with Gigan around, the chances of that are slim to none."
"No, she's onto something," Mike said. Everyone turned to look at him as he stood up and sniffed the air. "I can smell them. It's faint, but I'd know that smell anywhere. They're coming."
Everyone gasped nervously. After a few minutes, the doors to the mess hall swung open, and the woman barging in, Nanaba, confirmed their fears. A group of Titans was approaching. Erwin immediately took the initiative upon receiving this news.
"Alright. Levi, you and your squad need to suit up in ODM gear," Levi nodded and gathered his squad together. Erwin then faced Eren's table. "Eren, Mikasa, you'll be on the front lines with them. Follow Captain Levi's instructions closely."
"Sir!" Eren replied before she and Mikasa hurried off with the Levi squad.
"Armin Arlert, you're with me," he said, receiving an affirmative nod from Armin. "The rest of you, I want all of you on horseback. Your mission will be to evacuate every home and settlement in this area."
Everyone saluted Erwin and hurried to action. As the fleet of horseback riders sped onward towards the group of nine Titans that were approaching them, Erwin stood atop the roof of Utgard Castle, immediately flanked by Mike and Armin. Erwin looked down at the young blonde and noticed him in deep thought.
"I can tell that there's something on your mind, young Arlert," Erwin said. "Something you'd like to say?"
"W-well, it's just…" Armin scratched his chin as he began to divulge his thoughts to Erwin and Mike. "During the battle in Stohess, we've seen that Eren's hardening ability is able to withstand a great deal of damage. From the explosion that killed an adult Zilla, to Zilla Ultima's breath beams. And if the walls are made of colossal titans, it only stands to reason that the walls are made of a similar substance, if not the exact same."
"'But if that's the case, then how did the Titans manage to breach the walls, when no normal titan has ever shown such strength before?'" Erwin asked. "Is that what you were thinking?" Armin nodded, bringing a smile to the commander's face. "This is precisely why I positioned you with me, to begin with."
Armin's eyes widened in surprise. However, before they could think about this any further, they heard someone in ODM gear land behind them.
"I believe she can answer that for you," Thomas said. The trio turned around and saw him holding onto the back of Ymir's clothes.
"You know, you didn't have to drag me all the way over here," Ymir grumbled.
"Ymir? What do you know about this?" Armin asked.
"Well, for one, I know that those titans you see out there are probably not from outside Wall Rose," she said.
"Not from outside?" Mike pondered.
"Then where do you suppose they came from?" Erwin asked.
Ymir sighed. "You're not gonna like the answer."
-G-
The dead-eyed Titans ambled their way forwards. As the Scouts rode towards the various settlements, the Titans made a sudden turn and began charging at them. Without their ODM gear and the Levi squad still on the way, everyone was worried that they were up a creek. But then, all of a sudden, a massive shadow fell over the Titans, prompting the Scouts to look up to the sky.
"Looks like we won't be needing the Squad after all," Connnie said.
The Titans glanced upwards just as a gigantic mass of metal landed on them with so much force that it caused an explosion that rocked the countryside. As the Scouts went to check on the villages, Gigan rose from the smoke, his red glow piercing through the black clouds. Gigan then began to scan the area, turning around slowly before eventually landing upon a titan who he had been acquainted with in the past, standing miles away from the crater he created.
'Oh, well look who it is,' Gigan thought. 'It's that shaggy Titan from back in the other human settlement. I wonder how it got all the way over here.'
Gigan revved up his chainsaw hands and slowly approached it, growing closer and closer, until he was standing right above the Beast Titan. However, before he could make a move on the titan, Gigan's eyes widened as he noticed an aura surrounding the Titan.
'No way…' he thought.
{Pelops, scan this thing,} he said while pointing at the beast.
After a blue scanning beam was emitted from Gigan's visor, Pelops appeared on the HUD and showed Gigan the biometric scans, which bore a striking resemblance to Eren's biometric scans while she was in her transformed state.
'God damn it,' he thought.
"Ah, I see that those old documents were correct," the Beast Titan said. He then placed a hand on Gigan's leg as he continued. "After our encounter in the badlands, I took some time to do a bit of research on you to see if there would be any way to survive a future encounter, and low and behold, I find you're in fact the least of our worries because you are incapable of harming a human."
Gigan huffed angrily as the Beast Titan looked past him and towards the crater.
"Still though, the loss of my titans is quite a bother. I suppose it doesn't matter in the end though, as I can always make more."
'He made them!?' Gigan thought.
As the Beast Titan began to leave, Gigan tried to stomp on him, shoot him, or grab him with his tail, but he always hesitated at the last second, allowing the Beast Titan the opportunity to escape him.